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Monday, August 8, 2016

Unity Caucus Slugs Go Ballistic Defending Their Loyalty Oath

To hear you guys complain about UNITY voting in a block when your own
national caucus does is hypocritical. Your so called "opposition"
caucus who preaches complete individual independence will vote as a
block both locally and nationally.Tell your followers how all UCORE(rank
and file caucuses) voted for Randi, Michael and other UNITY candidates.
Time to speak the truth... https://www.blogger.com/comment.g?blogID=15921757&postID=3121675670905590265

I've been busy so I am just catching up on the comments by Unity slugs on a bunch of topics over at the ICE blog. There's a lot of the usual intentional misinformation and explanation of democracy, Unity Caucus style.

The slug is trying to say that our fellow caucuses in Chicago and other cities vote in a block based on their own version of a loyalty oath. Here's the slug's partial list:

UCORE is the national movement behind CORE in CTU, UP in UTLA , MORE in
NY and the caucuses in power in Boston, Portland and St. Paul among
others

Let's say they do vote in a block -- but the question is are they told how to vote and then punished if they don't vote the way they are told to?

In top-down Unity that is how it works. How do I know? Unity people tell me. I once even got a call from a Unity person during the meeting of the 750 before they left to the convention telling me how they were told to vote. There was not discussion of the issues or of having the caucus itself decide democratically which issues to support. Even if they voted as a block that is still more democratic than what they do now.

I might explain to the Unity slug(s) that democracy means much more than a vote. If the caucus of delegates engage in a democratic decision making process and then decide to vote as a block but allowing the leeway to vote the way they want individually that is a different kettle of fish than how Unity operates along the lines of the communist party of China.

Now did the Chicago TU engage in a debate that was bottom-up and not top-down dictation? I don't know for sure as there is conflicting info coming out of there. And if Chicago TU/CORE is not engaging in bottom-up unionizing and is morphing into a Unity-like caucus with loyalty oaths and top-down decision making then it would be going against UCORE core beliefs and would deserve to be criticized - and as more info flows in I would do so myself.

But our main point of contention is that the high school teachers voted for MORE in the election and there are no delegates to AFT and NYSUT representing them. The other unions mentioned have a lot more flexibility in their elections with room for different caucuses to win a share of elected positions including delegates.

For instance we met someone from Boston who told us they held their elections for delegates separately from officers and retirees don't vote like in the UFT where retirees don't vote for many position. If we dropped the retiree vote from the UFT election the MORE/NA % would jump from 20% to close to 30% and the teacher portion would be closer to a third. And if you add all anti-Unity vote totals in the election it comes to over 12,000 voters not represented at state and national councils.

These are the points the slugs try to avoid by throwing red herrings into the discussion.

In the Chicago union where the CORE caucus seems to be the only game in town -- no opposition ran against them in the past 2 elections - which might tell you something.

They had the right to send 150 delegates - and George and Sharon Schmidt were among them. Now if you know George he has been an open critic of Karen Lewis and some of the Chicago TU leadership. If George had been in Unity he would be purged. If he is purged from CORE due to pieces like this below then that would begin to put teeth into the Unity contention that UCORE locals are just like Unity.

George recently wrote this piece charging the CTU with taking top-down action:

It's now been more than a year since the Chicago Teachers Union's
contract expired and a faction of the union leadership declared, through
the words of union president Karen Lewis, that the union would continue
to surrender the contractual rights of its dues-paying members on
behalf of building a so-called "movement" that was never voted upon by
anyone. It's now been more than a year since the Chicago Teachers Union's
contract expired and a faction of the union leadership declared, through
the words of union president Karen Lewis, that the union would continue
to surrender the contractual rights of its dues-paying members on
behalf of building a so-called "movement" that was never voted upon by
anyone.

Yes Unity Slug(s) George was one of those delegates that you accuse of being lockstep loyalty oathers. In Unity you can get tossed for not liking Hillary's pant suits.

AFTER BURN
I do have criticisms of UCORE which met this past weekend in North Carolina - I didn't go for a few reasons not the least of which is that there seems to be no stomach in UCORE for a national battle with Randi and Unity.

30 comments:

Even worse then the whole UNITY oath is the fact that they simply shut out any and all people from other caucuses who simply want to discuss important topics at delegate meetings. When topics such as evaluations/contract negotiation items come up for "discussion" non-unity folks simply get shut out.

Response to Unity Slug: It's the oath, stupid. The DNC has demonstrated how lack of democracy functions in the US these days. If we were to hold a US version of a "Brexit" vote, the results would be skewered to the outcome that the government wanted. Even John Kerry said that the outcome in the UK vote did not have to be honored.Nothing is honored here, nothing means anything except the dollar and corporate profit. UFT aligns with corporate.

I venerate any union/ caucus that operates in a democratic manner. I am not happy with ctu coziness with Randi. And as I see signs that ctu is top down I won't venerate. But never forget the awful state of the ctu in 2010 as a legacy of old regime which played footsie with deformers and severe restrictions imposed by state and city as to what they can bargain. Most rights were surrendered already. When unity crumbles uft will be in similar situation and then you can pray for retention of any rights.

So Norm, you are saying that retirees shouldn't vote even though they pay dues and many actions and positions the union takes effects them like medical coverage, prescription drugs and pensions? Not only that, but many retirees still work F status and per session jobs. You want to shut out lifetime UFT members, many who have struck for the rights you now enjoy because they don't vote the way you want? Now go ahead and call me a slug and my argument a red herring.

Your post in the Ice blog:Blogger ed notes online said...The best part of going to Del Ass is socializing with all our friends and sometimes hanging out for a bite or beer after. I believe the MORE/New Action Ex Bd members will try to meet up an hour before the Ex Bd meetings to coordinate on issues they might raise."

By coordinate do you mean to vote as a block? If the ex board members are "coordinating" an hour before the meeting do the rank and file have a say on what they will "coordinate" on? Doesn't sound like bottom up , free thinking does it now? Remember these are your words. Not an "anonymous" UNITY source that use always use. "

Typical unity slug sophistry. I never said retirees shouldn't vote. Why do you guys even bother to have a cap on their votes? Like if 48000 voted instead of 24000 each would count as half a vote. You must think your own policies are wrong based on your statement above. Why don't you allow them to vote on contracts then? F status retirees too? Since you have a cap anyway let's move the cap down to 6000 so in last election eAch vote would count a fourth instead of making up 47% of total. My position personal not caucus is for retiree vp to be voted on by them and a batch of ex bd members but no vote for divisionals. That would be a start of reform of union. Your position? Fuck you I'm a unity slug I want to maintain the status quo for another 60 years. Even tho I've been opposed to calling for decertification it is this attitude that is moving me and others to start thinking about it. It might be an itch now but the more people you screw the more that idea will catch on and what a joy to see you sweat. Because there comes a the when people will say better to bring chaos to the uft than continue to pay 1500 a year to keep you slugs in power.

Wow. Very inappropriate comment. Does diversity of opinion mean that people have to agree with you? Regarding your response; in other words you want what you want, or else you're don't only want to play the fiddle but actually light the match! And when you get out debated on your own blog your final response is to use epithets? That's the last defense of someone who knows they don't have a strong argument. Finally it is beneath the dignity of a person as well respected as yourself to issue threats and curses. Please apologize so this debate may continue in a civil manner.

I can call you an asshole if I wAnt to. Go start your own blog and feel free to call me what you want. Why are you an asshole? Because you raise issue after issue and even when I try to reply seriously you ignore my response and try to nit pick on something else. You are not to be taken seriously - just another unity slug looking to defend your perks.

And by the way it wasn't a "Unity slug" who went ballistic. It was you and the other Moresheviks who lost their minds, threatened decertification and cursed. You like to get things cooking with your blog but it does not seem like you can stand the heat in your own kitchen.

You admit that Core is now an establishment party, that Karen Lewis said in your quote that the union would continue to surrender the contractual rights of its dues-paying members on behalf of building a so-called "movement" that was never voted upon by anyone. She used the word continue. She's held power for 6 years and tells people that they will continue to surrender their contractual rights to organize? If Mulgrew ever said anything close to that you would already be in fire and brimstone mode. And you admire them and want the UFT to emulate that? That does not speak to a model that the membership here would want. And oh, by the way, she's doing this without putting it to a vote. That's very democratic! Where is your outrage now?

Here's another quote from Chicago (thanks for the link Norm)... it tells us what to expect from the Moresheviks if they get elected like in Chicago.. And as the new school year looms, the Chicago Teachers Unions official website doesn't even include all of the resolutions the the union's 800-member House of Delegates have voted to approve, many after serious debate. Nor can the union's members find complete reports on the monthly meetings of the most democratic body in Chicago's public schools, the CTU House of Delegates. The "talk" is all about democracy and so-called "transparency." The "walk," though, has been in the opposite direction for a long time. That is anti democratic and hypocritical. They care about their own power not their membership. People should know that's what they will be able to expect if More gets elected here. For the sake of our membership I hope that none of your erst while "democratic unionist" pals never get elected.

I'll take any insult from you as a complement. I fundamentally disagree with you and your caucusmates. Your ideas are flawed, your role models are hypocrites, and your friends have radical, and dangerous ideas that will hurt many, many people. If you can't handle these comments maybe you should not have a blog. By the way George Schmidt wrote something in May about a total top down way of handling their delegate assembly and resolutions. No debate, just orders on what they were being told to do. And it seems lie their are financial disclosure questions as well. And you want New York to be more like that? No thank you. Here is the link... http://www.substancenews.net/articles.php?page=6316&section=Article

I don't have to accept comments at all so consider yourself lucky I allow you a platform while you hide behind anon. The fact you waste your time reading and commenting on a blog you dislike and trolling around so you can make niggling little comments that few people read is a sign you have too much time on your hands. You need to spend more time reading the unity blog.

I always post divergent positions even those of an asshole. There is no debate since you just change the subject every time I give you a rational response -- like the retiree issue - so go on to something else. In fact I posted the George Schmidt piece crit the CTU on ed notes as I did a year and a half ago when George was critical of the way they endorsed the guy for mayor. But noting the CTU or the UTLA or any UCORE group does can in any way compare to the Unity Slug machine. And the Queens Borough office is still the worst in the city - more SLUGGISH than any other.

They never stick to the topic bc they don't have the stomach for real debate. You really get under their skin, Norm bc you're untethered...free to just speak your mind without checking in with some scumbag union leader like Mlgrew. They do whatever Mulgrew tells them to do. They have no free will and that's why they resent you. Deep down they wish they had the balls to be you. In other words...they hate you for your freedom. Roseanne

Thanks Roseanne. Note how this slime tries to make it seem more is just like unity with loyalty oaths - as if indeoendent and free people like us would ever be part of that. they have no free will but are lemmings who will follow their leaders off the cliff.

Summer vacation has eased my bad mood and I'm considering Jill Stein or Johnson but rest assured I'm voting against Hilary. You still voting the way Mulgrew and Randi tell you to? You would all be at a Trump rally if Mulgrew told you to get on the bus. I decide who and what I support. I removed Unity's loyalty oath blinders and handcuffs many moons ago once I recognized they worked against the working teacher and stood for nothing more than protecting their self interests....just like Hilary the corporate whore Clinton. Roseanne

Comments are welcome. Irrelevant and abusive comments will be deleted, as will all commercial links. Comment moderation is on, so if your comment does not appear it is because I have not been at my computer (I do not do cell phone moderating).

UFT Election Vote Comparison: 2004-10

A Personal Historical Perspective

Why Karen Lewis Reads Ed Notes

"A Black Agenda Radio commentary by Glen Ford

What media call "philanthropy" for the public schools are actually seed monies to establish a private "market" in publicly-financed education - an enterprise worth trillions if successfully penetrated by corporate America. Cory Booker, one of the "New Black Leaders" financed by the filthy rich, is key to creating a "nationwide corporate-managed schools network paid for by public funds but run by private managers.

"Ed Reformers" want to cash in on public education and to control its content and outcome, not improve it. Provide great education? Baby boomers had as close as this country has ever gotten to it when we were growing up. The Ed Reform Movement has no interest in seeing such a well-educated, democratically astute population ever again.

History of the UFT Pre-Weingarten Years

This award-winning series of articles by Jack Schierenbeck originally appeared in the New York Teacher in 1996 and 1997.

Naturally, from a certain point of view. But, despite certain biases, Schierenbeck, a great guy, was one of the best NY Teacher reporters so this is worth reading. Jack suffered a debilitating stroke many years ago (I used to get secret donations to ed notes from him through a 3rd source.)

“The schism in the union over radical politics [is] a major reason for stalling the growth of a teacher union for decades.” Revolutionary politics and ideology take center stage, as the original Teachers Union becomes a battlefield, pitting leftist against leftist and splitting the union.

Clarence Taylor's "Reds at the Blackboard" focused on the old Teachers Union which disbanded in 1964 after suffering from anti-left attacks.

Effective Union Organizing

A video series put together by Jason Mann from the British Columbia Federation of Teachers about social media and how to use it for effective union organizing.

The first series was called New Media For Union Activists Roadmap and it's still available on-line at:http://www.newmediabootcamp.ca/welcome/I watched some of them and need to rewatch as they are loaded with information.

The second series started last week and it's called "Online Campaigning for Union Activists"

7 weeks Old - Nov. 2011

You Don't Have A Choice - Join the Revolt

Hedges says, There are no excuses left. Either you join the revolt taking place on Wall Street and in the financial districts of other cities across the country or you stand on the wrong side of history.

Ex-Harlem Success Teacher Comments on Eva the Diva

I am a former Harlem Success teacher. Not many people who work/worked for her like her very much. I once made the comment that she is very nice when I first was hired. Two of her closest colleague responded immediately almost in unison, "Eve is not nice!" Over time I realized that there was a lot of political games going on. Another colleague once said to me that he was tired of "being part of a political campaign." Sending out 15,000 applications for only 400 seats in a school is reprehensible. The money that paid for those mass mailings could have paid the yearly salary of another teacher not to mention the heartache of all those parents who applied but did not get a spot. She does good work trying to give disadvantaged students a quality public school education but at a great cost to staff AND the school's educational budget! school budget.

GEM's Julie Cavanagh Debates E4E member on NY1 on LIFO and Seniority

Davis Guggenheim Compared to Riefenstahl

“Waiting for Superman" is the second most intellectually dishonest piece of documentary work I have seen. It is surpassed only by Leni Riefenstahl's "Triumph of the Will," the pro-Hitler propaganda classic, in that regard. Uses personal narratives of adorable children to create narrative suspense that overrides public policy discussion with pure emotion in unscrupulous attack on teachers and their unions, among others

Timothy TysonProfessor of African American Studies and HistoryDuke University

A Familiar Voice on Unions

"We must close union offices, confiscate their money and put their leaders in prison. We must reduce workers salaries and take away their right to strike"- Adolf Hitler, May 2, 1933

How Teaching Experience Makes a Difference

Even as New York Mayor Michael Bloomberg, Michelle Rhee and others around the nation are arguing for experienced teachers to be laid off regardless of seniority, every single study shows teaching experience matters. In fact, the only two observable factors that have been found consistently to lead to higher student achievement are class size and teacher experience, so that it’s ironic that these same individuals are trying to undermine both.- Leonie Haimson on Parents Across America web site

Outsource our children

Harlem $ucce$$ Academy Ad

Weingarten/Gates Foundation announce drone-driven teacher evaluation

According to a press release issued by the Gates Foundation, the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute, these three have entered a ground-breaking partnership to evaluate teachers utilizing the drone technology that has revolutionized warfare in Iraq, Afghanistan, and Pakistan. A bird-size device floats up to 400 feet above a classroom and instantly beams live video of teachers in action to agents at desks at Teacher Quality Inspection Stations established by the AFT and the Thomas B. Fordham Institute.

When asked if the drones were authorized to drop bombs on teachers who exhibit inadequacy, Chester E. Finn, Jr., president of the Thomas B. Fordham Foundation, replied, "Don't be ridiculous. Gates money puts other methods at our disposal."

Randi Weingarten, president of the 1.5-million-member American Federation of Teachers said the powerful union has signed on to the drone project...

Teacher Value-Added Data Dumping by Norm Scott

The Real Reason Behind Push for Standardized Tests: It's All About the Adults

On standardized testing in our schools

A must read article about the standardized test industry.Written by an insider who has worked as a test scorer, the article outlines a multinational industry based on an army of temporary workers paid by the piece at $0.30 to $0.70 per test, translated in the need to grade 40 tests per hour to make a $12 salary. The article goes on to show how the companies gauge the grading "results" based on the need to ensure new contracts to continue profiting off of our youth. The original article is from Monthly Review. Here it is on Schools Matter blog.

From Sharon Higgins

Parallels between America today and Germany in the 1920's and early 30's

"Resentment and obstruction are all the right wing in America have to peddle. Their policies are utterly discredited. Their ideology - even by its own standards - is a sham. They are so bereft of leaders, their de facto leader is a former drug addicted, thrice-divorced radio talk show host. That is literally the best they can muster. But they have built a national franchise inciting the downwardly mobile to blame the government, not the right, for their problems, exactly as Hitler did in the 1920s."

Chicago View of Unity/UFT on Charters

After many meetings and debates, the Chicago delegation succeeded in working with the New York United Federation of Teachers, Local 2 (UFT) to push the AFT to take stronger stands on charter school accountability and school closings — though many delegates from Chicago would have liked the language to have been even stronger.

Generally speaking, the New York delegation represented organizing charters as the best model for handling their role in reshaping unions, despite the fact that according to many reports few charter schools in New York have been organized as is the case in Chicago. This logic is the same touted by the Progressive Caucus of the AFT. The few that have been organized are a part of the UFT local though they have separate contracts negotiated with the help of UFT. The Chicago delegation reflection the mindset that allowing new charters to continue to proliferate while attempting to organize existing charters is an end game in which public schools and the union lose.

Ed Notes Greatest Hits: HSA Rally and Founding of GEM

Angel Gonzalez and I attended that rally and used the footage to promote our conference on Mar. 28, 2009, which is where the concept of a group like GEM emerged. Until then we had basically been a committee of ICE working with the NYCORE high stakes testing group. The actions of Eva and crew helped spawn GEM. Mommie Dearest!!

I have more video somewhere. I was hoping to get Leni Riefenstahl to edit it but she died. We would have called it "Triumph of the Hedge Fund Operators."

Video of Chicago's George Schmidt and CORE Shredding Arne Duncan and the Chicago Corporate Model

Great Post on Teacher Quality at the Morton School

I'm very tired of the myth that schools are bursting at the seams with apathetic, unskilled, surly, child-hating losers who can't get jobs doing anything else. I recently figured that, counting high school and college where one encounters many teachers in the course of a year, I had well over 100 teachers in my lifetime, and I can only say that one or two truly had no place being in a classroom.